We reached the end of the forest when it was that time when sunrise hasn't gone into full bloom, and all you can see are silhouettes. Leo was gliding by my side, as I slithered pressed to the floor.

The forest dispersed into a wide field, where you could see the black outlines of sparse trees and creatures that lurk in the night. In the distance, a mighty fort emerged from the ground, the northern turret facing us with a large crest banner on the front. From what I could see, the walls were as tall as three men on top of each other, and made of large grey bricks.

When we got closer, a deep moat became visible, coiling around Ragni like a dragon around its gold. I started planning insults in my head as we passed the gates.

"Look! Elrund's back!" laughed one of the boys on post. You could hardly call those morons men, let alone soldiers, and they were a shame to the entire village.

"Let me past, you imbecilic fools," I spat.

"That's Warrior Rogers and Warrior Edwards to you, freak," one of the shadowy figures replied. "...and sorry. We forgot the pesticide, but that doesn't mean we're just gonna let a snake like you go in."

I ignored them and walked past. Out of everyone in Ragni, they are the most racist muscle brains to have been born in this town.

"See you, Weasel Rogers and Weasel Edwards," I replied as I slithered away from them quickly. "Be careful not to step inside, or that might count as a rodent infestation."

One of them unsheathed his sword, but I threw them both back with my tail.

The high street was dimly lit at this time of day. Shopkeepers were opening their doors, and I followed the brick path down to a sign with a blue tree on it. In the low light, you could see the shop it hung from was a pub, the windows projecting a yellow glow onto the pavement. With a push, I opened the door to 'The Faerie Tree'.

The air was thick with smoke. A stout satyr attended the bar, and half of the men in the small town were sitting at tables. All sorts of sounds could be heard, the most notable were a bar fight, as well as a crowd of people chanting around Alistair, an old enemy of mine as he downed beer by beer.

"Rinire!" a blonde blur ran at me so fast that I couldn't tell what it was. It knocked me back a bit, before I could take it all in.

"Gwen?" I asked, looking at the blonde elf. A ponytail swung behind her head, and she wore a white short-sleeve blouse, as well as a long brown skirt. She looked very cute, and to think this 19-year-old girl was one of the infamous 'Spirit Siblings', the third most vicious pub owners in the world.

"Was it always like this?" I asked, looking around. The pub had changed. Scorch marks were all over the place, and there were dents that looked suspiciously like teeth on half on the tables.

"Well, we did get a new employee..." she trailed off, her finger on her chin.

"New employee?" I asked, in a surprised tone of voice. "But you're the 'Spirit siblings'! You never get new-" I was interrupted by one of her customers, and Gwen bounced off to serve him.

Now, yet again, I was alone in a pub. Leo had toddled off somewhere, and I was friendless in a bar. To be honest, I was dying for a drink, but it was no fun without a buddy. Now, where are my friends? I walked to the corner of the room. Behold, as predicted, a young man in armour lay unconscious, half of a beer spilt on the floor.

"Hey," I said, shaking him harshly by the shoulder, before moving close to his ear. "HEY ADRIAN! WAKEY WAKEY!"

He leaped up, but seemed a bit wobbly. Lying down for so long caused his dead blonde hair to get messy.

"Is it morning yet?" he asked, and I caught the smell of alcohol on his breath.

"Yup. Now go help me find a drinking buddy!" I grabbed him by the hand.

"Alistair is over there," he pointed, too drunk to care. "Challenge them or something."

I dropped Adrian, making him land with a clang. If I can't get a drinking buddy, I can get a bar fight. Time to reunite with that donkey.